I’m Fighting to Keep the Government Open and Protect Your Health Care

I'm Fighting to Keep the Government Open and Protect Your Health Care

You may have heard about the potential for health insurance premiums to rise dramatically at the end of this year. This is an urgent priority for me and it is the main reason my Democratic colleagues and I voted against a Republican short-term government funding bill last week. If Congress fails to act, thousands of families in my district and millions nationwide are just weeks away from massive increases in their health premiums because of cuts that were used to pay for huge billionaire tax giveaways in the GOP's recently enacted One Big Ugly Law. Millions more will lose health coverage altogether starting next year because of draconian cuts to Medicaid.

This is why my Democratic colleagues and I are demanding that Republicans negotiate a fair bipartisan government funding solution, and refusing to support their partisan funding proposal that fails to address the looming healthcare crisis they have set in motion. The cost of inaction is staggering - premiums for over 37,000 of my constituents in California's 2nd District are set to skyrocket:

• By over $25,000 for a 60-year-old couple earning $82,800 a year - that's a 610% increase!
• By over $1,500 for a family of four earning $64,000 a year.
• By over $25,000 for a family of four earning $129,800 a year - up 180 percent!

On top of this, over 38,000 people in our district will lose health care access entirely next year because of Republican cuts to Medicaid (Medi-Cal). And health clinics and rural hospitals are already warning of drastic reductions in service and potential closures next year if Congress does not take action.

So far in this standoff, President Trump and congressional Republicans are signaling their intention to shut down the federal government rather than work with Democrats on averting a healthcare disaster. Not only are they refusing to compromise, Trump is refusing to even meet with Democratic leaders. Republicans control the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives, and rather than govern, they are using the threat of a government shutdown to bully Democrats into accepting a healthcare crisis that will devastate American families. They are attempting to establish a new hyper-partisan norm where they simply never work with, or even talk to, Democrats on anything. This is what the looming Trump Shutdown is all about - another crucible in Trump's attempt to consolidate absolute power at the expense of the American people and our democracy.

How Did We Get Here?

After creating an unnecessary health care crisis on top of other skyrocketing costs from Trump's tariffs and disastrous energy policies, House Republicans refused to engage with Democrats. Instead, they jammed through a short-term partisan spending bill and simply left town, knowing that their partisan bill would fail in the Senate, and that unless Congress re-convened this would trigger a government shutdown on October 1st.

Democrats continue to seek negotiations, but so far, Trump and Republicans refuse to meet. Although we do not control the House, Senate or White House, my colleagues and I are committed to doing everything in our power to fund the government - but we are not going to sacrifice your health and safety by accepting a partisan funding bill that leaves America careening toward healthcare disaster. If Republicans insist on taking the country down that path, they will have to do it with Republican votes and they will own the consequences.

What Now?

If legislation is not enacted to continue to fund the government, at 12:00am ET on October 1, 2025, certain government programs will be impacted, resulting in disruptions to essential services - ranging from air travel to food assistance to national parks access and so much more.

I'm doing everything I can to avoid this catastrophe, but I want to make sure you have the resources you need in case the Republican shutdown happens. To keep you informed, my team and I have created a web page we'll continue to update to get real-time info to you as quickly as possible. You can also reach our office by email or phone.

Please rest assured: if the government does shut down, our team will still be here working around the clock to help with any urgent federal matters and to end the Republican stalemate.

And please don't forget: whether it's help working with a federal agency, or providing information about legislation and policy, my staff and I are here to help - you can fill out this form on my website.

To keep up with the work I am doing as your representative, please?subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Bluesky,?Facebook,?Twitter/X,?Instagram, and Threads.

Thank you, and stay well,

Jared Huffman
Member of Congress

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